TRIBUNE'S NL PICKS.

Grin And Cy, Cub Fans

Sorry Sammy And Rockin' Rockie, Maddux Not Only Best Pitcher, He May Be Most Valuable Player, Too

September 20, 1995|By Paul Sullivan, Tribune Staff Writer.

He's the 1990's version of Lou Brock to Generation X Cubs fans.

The once-in-a-generation Hall of Famer who somehow got away.

And now, in his most dominating season yet, Atlanta's Greg Maddux may earn the rare distinction of being chosen Most Valuable Player and Cy Young Award winner in the same season. He would become the first to do it since Boston's Roger Clemens in 1986, the first National Leaguer since St. Louis' Bob Gibson in 1968, and, for trivia buffs, the first ex-Cub since Detroit's Willie Hernandez in 1984.

In a hit-crazy, expansion-era game where the National League earned-run average is up to 4.20, Maddux's 1.75 ERA is simply unexplainable. It's comparable to Gibson's sensational 1.12 ERA of '68, back in the Cretaceous Period when the NL ERA was 2.99. So hand Maddux his first MVP. Give Maddux his fourth straight Cy. And to make it an official hat trick, give him the ex-Cub of the year award, too.

Most Valuable Player

Greg Maddux, Atlanta

Maddux's 6-1 victory Saturday over Cincinnati at Riverfront Stadium gave him 17 straight wins on the road, surpassing the record he shared with Cal McLish, Denny McLain and Rich Dotson. In those 17 wins, Maddux's combined ERA is 1.03.

For the season, he's 17-2 with a 1.75 ERA, and has a realistic shot at becoming the first pitcher since Walter Johnson to post an ERA of less than 1.80 in consecutive seasons. Johnson pulled it off in 1918-19, back in the Mesozoic Period.

If Maddux wins, there will surely be some moaning coming out of the Rocky Mountains, where Colorado left-fielder Dante Bichette has put up some monstrous numbers--.337 with a league-leading 37 home runs and 116 RBIs. But Bichette is sub-par defensively and plays in a band-box ballpark that artificially inflates players' statistics. It's a fact that 31 of Bichette's 37 homers have been in Coors Field, so let the whining begin.

"Where I play will definitely be held against me," Bichette said.

In a band box where the wind actually blows in sometimes, Cubs right-fielder Sammy Sosa could merit serious consideration if he finishes first in home runs and RBIs. He currently trails Bichette by one home run and three RBIs, but will likely be held back by the .500-caliber team he plays for. Ditto for probable batting champ Tony Gwynn. Mike Piazza, Eric Karros and Barry Larkin will get votes, but none has had a better year than Maddux.

Nomo-mania has settled down, but Hideo Nomo seems to be getting stronger after a relative lull in August. He has an 0.44 ERA in three starts since Aug. 25, and opposing batters are hitting a combined .175 against him for the year.

"He's back," Piazza said. "He has extra pop on that fastball."

Nomo is 11-5, second in the NL with a 2.39 ERA and first in the NL with 220 strikeouts in 173 1/3 innings. That, plus he helped keep some fans interested in the game during the post-strike malaise.

There may be some who will argue for Atlanta's Chipper Jones, a true rookie rather than a former Japan League professional who's playing his first year in the majors. But rules are rules. Nomo is eligible, and for him to lose out would be wrong and unjustifiable.

Comeback player

Ron Gant, Cincinnati

This would be the second such honor for Gant, who was named NL Comeback Player of the Year by several publications after his 1990 year in Atlanta. The Braves released him last year after Gant broke his right leg in a dirt bike accident, and he has responded with 29 homers, 86 RBIs, 19 steals and a .288 average for the soon-to-be NL Central champs. No one comes close to Gant for this one.

Manager of the Year

Don Baylor, Colorado

In a game where too few minority candidates are hired for managerial positions, Baylor should follow '93 winner Dusty Baker and '94 winner Felipe Alou as NL Manager of the Year, perhaps opening up a few more doors for other qualified ex-players.

The Rockies are no typical third-year expansion team, of course. Free agency and deep-pocketed ownership gave Baylor the horses to compete. Now he's on the verge of taking the Rocks into the postseason with a team ERA of just under 5.00, worst in the league.